Route provides a view to a thrill

Since March, Kashgar's culture and tourism bureau has launched a promotion featuring photography competitions and tips by travel influencers from the company. The successful campaign attracted more than 33 million hits.

The culture in Kashgar is typical of the southern part of Xinjiang and the distinct local architecture has preserved Central Asian elements, not to mention the charming natural sights such as the expansive grasslands and wild apricot blossoms on the Pamirs Plateau, Sun adds. There are also plenty of opportunities to stretch the legs and have a pit stop at a number of cities that dot the route to refuel both the vehicle and the passengers.

Despite the continuing COVID-19 situation, Xinjiang received 191 million tourist visits last year, an impressive increase of more than 20.5 percent. It plans to attract at least 250 million tourist visits this year, according to the regional government.

The region covers more than 1.66 million square km, about one-sixth of China's territory, and an improved transportation network has made traveling in the vast region easier, says Ablikem Azez, director of Xinjiang Culture and Tourism Bureau.

"New airports have been built near tourist sites. People can have a traditional Kazak breakfast on Narat grassland in the Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture in northern Xinjiang in the morning and make it to the century-old tea house in the old town of Kashgar city in the afternoon," Ablikem adds.

To spice up travel experience, Zhang says he and his colleagues are working on new horse-riding and low-altitude helicopter programs.

"We plan to have our customers fly in helicopters or ride horses to their camping sites," Zhang says.